Selected Shorts

Meg Wolitzer presents two favorite Selected Shorts works in which food and nourishment figure both literally and symbolically.  The narrator of Haruki Murakami’s “The Year of Spaghetti” seems to be just sharing pasta recipes, but it’s the recipe for assuaging loneliness that may elude him.  The reader is Sopranos alum Michael Imperioli.  And unusual family dynamics shape Amy Bloom’s “Love is Not a Pie,” performed by Hope Davis.  We also share a discussion of this work by the mother and daughter book club organized by our frequent reader Rita Wolf and her daughter Anjeli.

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Host Meg Wolitzer presents two works about love and marriage.  In Amy Silverberg’s “Have You Met Husband?” two men and a dog vie for this title.  The reader is Molly Bernard.  And Mary Gordon’s “The Magician’s Wife” is a touching portrait of life-long devotion—a kind of magic itself.  The reader is Jane Curtin.

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British actor Tim Curry died on August 26th at the age of 80. Celebrated for his infamous portrayal of Frank-N-Furter in the musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show, his decades-long career included many other roles on stage and screen.   Among them, Mozart in Amadeus; King Arthur in the Monty Python musical Spamalot; and the evil clown, Pennywise, in a television adaptation of Stephen King’s It.

In a generous obituary, the BBC shared tributes from many friends and admirers in the arts.  One was from comedienne Carol Burnett, who wrote on social media that "nobody could play lovable villains better than he could".

And that is the Curry we are pleased to share with you in this special bonus podcast, in his deliciously chilling and seductive reading of Stephen O’Connor’s "Ziggurat."

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Host Meg Wolitzer presents three works of speculative fiction curated by best-selling author N.K. Jemisin.  In John Scalzi’s “When the Yogurt Took Over” a popular breakfast staple decides it’s good for everyone.  The reader in Jin Ha.  Chatbots and A.I. can be helpful—but sometimes too helpful--as we hear in Alexandra Chang’s “Me and My Algo,” read by Catherine Cohen.  And Jemisin herself reworks a classic by Ursula K. Le Guin in “The Ones Who Stay and Fight,” read by Teagle F. Bougere.  Some of Jemisin’s on stage comments are included in this show

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SELECTED SHORTS host Meg Wolitzer presents four works that were read as part of our live evening with WNYC’s Radiolab and hosts Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser.The theme was flight in many imaginative manifestations. Randa Jarrar’s “The Lunatics’ Eclipse” is a fable-like story of romance and interstellar travel, read by Abubakr Ali. Our second story is “Roy Spivey,” by Miranda July, and is a sly and gentle probing of celebrity culture.  It’s read by Molly Bernard.  Don Shea’s “Jumper Down” bares the vulnerability and resilience of a rescue worker. it’s read by Becca Blackwell.  And our last story, “My Life as a Bat,” shares the secret life a mysterious creature in fact and fable. It’s by Canadian fiction master Margaret Atwood and is read by Zach Grenier.

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Host Meg Wolitzer presents two stories about perception and the relationship between what we see and what we believe.  In “Heart of a Champion,” T.C. Boyle gives the children’s classic Lassie an affectionately humorous reboot.  The reader is Kirsten Vangsness.  In Jamel Brinkley’s “The Let-Out,” an unofficial street party provides a young man with an intriguing encounter, and a bit of family history.The reader is Ato Blankson-Wood.

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Host Meg Wolitzer presents three lively stories about the allure—or not—of summer.  Italian writer Massimo Bontempeli creates a magical beach inside an apartment in “The Miraculous Beach, or Prize for Modesty.” The work was translated by Jenny McPhee and is read by Hugh Dancy.Humorist Samantha Irby doesn’t get summer, and presents a contrarian’s view in “The Case for Remaining Indoors,” read by Retta.  And Denis O’Hare reads a baseball classic—W.P. Kinsella’s “The Thrill of the Grass.”

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Host Meg Wolitzer presents two works about shifting identities.  In “Voices”, by German writer Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Carol Brown Janeway, a computer technician’s mobile phone takes over his life—and not in the usual way.The reader is David Costabile.Writer Chika Unigwe sets a subtle story of social exploitation in the teeming city of Lagos.  The reader is Yetide Badaki, who commented on the story during a backstage interview

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Host Meg Wolitzer presents three works about idealized lives, and ideas about what constitutes an ideal life.  “Boy Meets Girl” is Jen Kim’s humorous version of a Hollywood love story.  It’s read by Tony Hale.  In the John Cheever classic “The Worm in the Apple” a couple have the perfect life—but no one can believe it.  It’s read by Anne Meara.  And a harried mother fantasizes about a brand new life in Vanessa Cuti’s “Our Children,” performed by Claire Danes, followed by an interview with Danes.

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